Va Tech is going to be younger than our guys. Their d-line will be tough, but our speed on the edges will take them out of the game. I look for Barrett to be over 200 yards passing again and somewhere around 60 yards rushing.

I initially was thinking a blocked punt but Va Tech is usually very sounds in the punt kick/return game. I think a kickoff is their only somewhat weakness on special teams. I am also thinking of a possible pick six but not sure about that one yet.

Not complaining, but I find it interesting that you call a 25 point win in a shootout style game a beatdown, but a 46 point margin of victory is just a win and more realistic as though you're settling for that option. It's fun being a Buckeye fan.

I have been catching up on the Hokies and reading their message boards the past couple of days to get a good read on the team...there isn't a whole lot of optimism. Buckeye defense should be outstanding in this game. Not a lot of Hokie fans have faith in their offense and they have lost 2 OL to injury in fall camp.

What message board have you been reading? After watching the O play against W&M.. and seeing some of the young guys in an actual game... I came away feeling a TON better about this year, compared to our O the past two seasons. The offense didn't record a single negative play against W&M - granted it's W&M.. so yes, take that stat with a grain of salt. The two freshman RB's have shown huge potential through out spring ball, and didn't disappoint in game 1. McKenzie was awarded ACC rookie of the week after posting a 100+ yard game on 12 carries. Another freshman, Isiah Ford recorded his first TD catch... as did Bucky Hodges. Michael Brewer threw the ball around to 10-11 different receivers... bottom line for me - I came away feeling 10x better after that game. I expect OSU to be HUGE step up in competition.. it'll be interesting to see how the VT O reacts in that atmosphere. 28 pt spread? The only way that happens if VT goes in and has multiple turnovers..

Turnovers can go both ways... VT has a pretty decent defense, and one of the better D coordinators in college football.

I agree, most week 1 contests offer little in terms of long term team success... for VT though, starting a new QB, playing roughly 10-11 true freshman.. it was at the very least a peak into their potential and if you have watched our offense the past two seasons, it was enough to say very loudly that we have made big strides on that side of the ball. Last year, the offense was Logan Thomas and whatever he could do.. not so much this year.

Biggest question marks for VT - IMO anyway... OL play. Week 1 - they played well. In the red zone, they need to improve. Marshawn Williams had one TD run inside the 5 called back for a penalty.. can't settle for FG's against better competition.

2nd question mark for me.. is DL depth. the 1st team DL is good, undersized, but very athletic with guys who can make plays off the edge. Maddy in the middle is a man. 2nd group has to be more productive.

Welcome to 11W Hokie! Much respect for your team & program, but I see you guys swaying between optimism to pull out an upset and straight up dread.

When looking at what Navy did, I mean you're talking 6 OL, 2 SB, 1 RB, 1 FB, & the QB. It was essentially a heavy set running all day. I don't like how we approached it overall (I would've liked to see a 4-4 look against Navy), but I think the key to this battle will be in the trenches. Your front seven is quick, but they are SMALL. Your DL shapes up at 245lbs, 218lbs, 257lbs, & 291lbs. Your LBs are 207lbs, 215lbs, & 221lbs respectively.

Our smallest OL is 285lbs...the rest: 300lbs, 305lbs, 307lbs, 315lbs. Our WRs & RBs weigh as much as your LBs do... I will be very surprised if VA Tech doesn't wear down later in the game. If you get behind early...it could get UCLA ugly...

Between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency. That fire you have inside to do whatever you love is placed there by God. Now go claim it. ~ Denzel Washington

Dread.... really? Not from my perspective - great opportunity for VT. Lot of people in the media might be down on the program after two sub par years but that's not the feeling from the people within the program.

Dadi Nicolas is closer to the 230-235lb range.. but yes, undersized DL. Corey Marshall is a beast at DT... he may be 'only' 262lbs.. but he's a big boy. Either way, VT does play other teams believe it or not, that have big OL's. It's all relative. If VT's O is unable to make progress on offense and the D is on the field all game, it's going to be an issue. It's not often though, that I worry about the defense that VT puts on the field.

On the flip side, in passing situations... OSU fans have to hope those big tackle's can handle Nicholas off the edge - quick is an understatement.

Yea, it was a very small sample size, but some of the more pessimistic fans weren't impressed with the win over W&M and seemed to be hoping to stay within 2-3 scores, that is, up until Braxton got hurt, and after the Navy game, which saw a drastic swing in optimism. I've seen predictions in two ways - a tight game with a VT upset or a blowout for OSU. Meh, I would never underestimate a Beamer team, but that UCLA game lingers in my mind a bit...

I think they will make things really difficult on J.T. on passing downs if OSU fails to get the ball out quickly. I actually think the OTs will be fine. I'm actually more concerned about Marshall than I am Nicolas. A-Gap pressure is what can really make or break a passing game, but Nicolas is baller. He reminds of Bruce Irvin a lil bit. I also think Fuller will have a feast or famine type of game in coverage too. I predict he gets a big INT or he gets burned for a long TD (maybe both).

Between goals and achievement is discipline and consistency. That fire you have inside to do whatever you love is placed there by God. Now go claim it. ~ Denzel Washington

Thanks for chiming in and adding to this thread from the enemy's perspective. You'll find people here are pretty congenial to fans from other programs -- as long as you deny and disavow M*chigan as a state.

Not projecting what should happen in this upcoming game based on what I saw against W&M... Having said that, we've only played one game this year, not sure how else to judge a team - going back to last year isn't relevant for this Hokie team.. too many new players especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Ohio State looks shaky in the first half and heads to the locker room down 13-7. Ohio State is a different team in the 2nd half with the defense imposing their will on the DL while the offense makes necessary adjustments at halftime and open it up in the second half.

Hate is a strong word. I hate ESecPN almost as much as I hate the whole SEC conference which is a close second to TTUN.

45-17 Good guys. The D line is too dominant for their line and QB. The secondary is much reformed and has 3 picks. JT4 has passing 3TD's and throws for just south of 300, EzE runs for over 100 adds 2 TD's, Das Boot makes a long kick early to spark the offense.

Same as last week before Navy, where are these 40+ point game predictions stemming from? Have we been that spoiled with Meyer? How soon we forget, I guess. I don't see how we throw 40 on Bud Foster, and maybe we just didn't watch the same game last week.

This is going to be a chess match that we win by 10 points max. Thinking 27-17.

what's behind the 'hefty does of defensive and even special teams points'?

VT doesn't appear to be a team prone to turning the ball over - especially with Brewer at QB. The INT last week came after the pass was tipped at the line of scrimmage - his read on that play though was perfect according to Loeffler. Looking at his past stats, INTs are few and far between.

As for special teams play - after a somewhat lackluster year in the return and coverage teams.. Beamer made it a point to add more of his starters to those teams.

Just asking what's behind all of the 'defensive and special teams scores'? I think, given VT's defensive backfield.. and OSU starting a RS Freshman QB.. his first start on a big stage.. VT is likely to be the one making big plays on defense.

I could say the same thing about OSU playing Navy.. and actually trailing that game into the 3rd qtr. Do you not think VT boasts a MUCH better defense than what Navy put on the field, or has better athletes on the offensive side of the ball? If not, you're mistaken.

hah! not trolling around... just asked a question and haven't said the first negative thing about OSU. it's whatever though... I get that this is an OSU board and obviously the picks etc are going to go OSUs way. It's somewhat comical to see the VT is going to get blasted posts though.

I think Foster is going to throw all he can at Barrett and try to force him into some mistakes. My guess is, VT will put a lot of guys in the box to try and limit the run game... leaving Fuller/Facyson/etc to hold down the defensive backfield.

I'd like to see VT's Ronny VanDyke back out there this week.. he's a big time playmaker when 100% healthy, and would likely be a huge asset in TE coverage.

For VT to win though, the O needs to build on more of what we saw last week.. which was an effective ground game, and Brewer being really efficient thru the air. If the VT O stalls, that will likely catch up to the D later in the game. I think our 'undersized' D is fine - unless they are just on the field way too much.

I'll give you an UV for your opinion, but I don't think I'm gonna agree..don't sleep on the fact that Barrett is a rs freshman with only one college game under his belt.. It may be close in the first half, but the second half is usually when the buckeyes take control of the game, and run away with it, simply because of their ability to rotate so much talent in and out, plus the fact that these guys have a tremendous conditioning program..

No worries - I didn't expect many to agree. I don't think the talent gap is THAT significant though... it's not like VT is an FCS level school with 20 fewer scholarships. VT plays some very talented teams. Miami, Clemson are probably on par with the types of recruiting classes OSU pulls in on a yearly basis.

Also, are you surprised, as a Va. Tech fan, how little the national media cares about this game? I am a little disappointed in how little attention the game is receiving, especially as ESPN's primetime game. It seems that most think that Va. Tech will hang in there, but ultimately, OSU will pull away.

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." - Winston Churchill

Miami gets the talent... they just can't put it together on the field. I thought Al Golden might get them turned around, but... based on their game last weekend, they might actually have a hard time getting out of the basement in the ACC Coastal Division.

I am somewhat surprised, especially since its OSU - and a primetime start.. that it isn't getting more attention. Having said that, after the past 2 sub par years at VT that's been somewhat the norm for our games. I think next year, expectations for both schools.. especially for VT considering were not even mentioned in Top 25 talk at this point.. will be higher, and will create more of a buzz nationally.

I think it's a reflection on how VT has performed the last couple years specifically, and for the last decade in general. I still remember when we got no respect back in the mid-90s (I hated Lee Corso then for never giving us any damned credit!), up until we beat the 'sips in the '95 Sugar Bowl. Suddenly we were on everyone's radar and started getting lots of media love. It peaked during the '99 season when we played F$U for the MNC. ESPN talked about VT, Michael Vick, Beamer Ball, and Lane Stadium, and well, we deserved it, because the product on the field was pretty damned compelling. But after MV1 left, we were like a rich family whose patriarch died. The decline wasn't immediately obvious, but it had started. In particular, our (now former) OC was promoted at the conclusion of the 2001 season and our "lost decade" on offense began. Over that 10+ year span, VT earned a reputation as a team that won a lot but consistently came up short in big-time games, especially OOC. And even though we won several of them (swept home-and-homes with aTm and Nebraska, split with LSU) it was the losses that stuck out: LSU in '07, Kansas in the '08 Orange Bowl, 'bama in '09, boyzee in '10, Stanford in the '11 Orange Bowl, mcchicken in the '12 Sugar Bowl, etc. Add in some tough conference losses and a couple of truly embarrassing performances like losing to 1AA JMU in '10, and it's no wonder that we're no longer one of ESPN's darlings. In many ways it wasn't so much that we lost as how we lost. Consider this: from 2004-08, we had the #3, #3, and #1, #2, and #13 ranked defensive unit in the country. Our offensive rankings those years? #65, #57, #99, #100, and #103. Hell, even in B1G country no one wants to watch that kind of offensive ineptitude! :-)

So now we're in a position where we have to earn our way back in. Hopefully we'll get a huge boost in that department tomorrow night, but until we do, it's reasonable for ESPN and opposing fans to assume that once again, VT will show up with a great defense and play hard, but ultimately come up short.

"Those who jump into the void owe no explanation to those who stand and watch."

What's up with the serial downvoter? So you don't think we'll score 40, it's not a reason to downvote everyone who thinks we will. Pathetic! Upvotes for everyone predicting good guys scoring more than 40.

When Virginia Tech takes the field Saturday night it will be in front of the largest crowd in program history. Ohio State's official website lists the capacity of Ohio stadium at 104,944. They have an all-time record there of 373-104-20. It's a tough environment. The Hokies will be utilizing the video board and PA system in Lane Stadium this week to simulate crowd noise. Tech will have silent signals but the environment will certainly be a challenge, especially with the number of freshman that will see significant playing time.

Freshman quarterbacks don't traditionally do much against Bud Foster's lunch pail crew. This isn't your typical freshman though. After a redshirt season, the big, mobile quarterback is short on game experience but makes up for a lot of that with pure talent. As Frank Beamer mentioned recently, compared to Braxton Miller, "It's kind of the same guy." Tech will need to find a way to keep him in the pocket to avoid getting gouged by big QB runs (think Maryland last season). Gap discipline along the defensive line will be crucial.

The Hokie offense was cruising in the opener, but when the unit was on the goalline things ground to a halt. I'm optimistically sticking to the idea that Tech was reluctant to show the team's best goalline plays in the opener. There were two fade routes to Bucky Hodges, but everyone has that play in the bag. Something tells me there are a number of passing plays utilizing the tight ends in close, not just the walking mismatch of Bucky lined up outside. Plus, J.C. Coleman won't be the lead back which means he won't be in on those situations anymore which was bizarre to start with. Look for more Marshawn Williams.

There are plenty of examples over the years of Frank Beamer's prized unit making terrible plays in big games. We all remember Danny Coale's failed fake punt against Michigan or the litany of mistakes in the 2000 national championship game against Florida State. Tech simply can't allow any blocked kicks or big returns and expect to be within two touchdowns at the end of the game. On the other hand, if the Hokies could find a way to block one or get a big return, that's the kind of thing to make Ohio Stadium silent and tell the nation that Beamer Ball is back with a vengeance.

If the Hokies lose, no one will think twice nationally. It's what was supposed to happen. But if Tech can sneak out of Columbus with a win, the perception will start to swing back towards Virginia Tech being a program of note on the national stage. The past two seasons have hampered that image and put some tarnish on the impressive career of Frank Beamer. Beamer has never been known as a big game coach based on his poor record against top ten teams, but no one wants to change that more than him.